Eligibility
- Foreign spouse of a Korean national with legally registered marriage
- Able to prove genuine marital relationship
- Korean spouse must meet minimum income threshold (varies by family size)
- Adequate housing
- Basic Korean ability or alternative documentation
Required Documents
- Passport copy (all pages)
- Korean marriage certificate
- Foreign spouse's home-country marriage certificate (apostilled)
- Family relations certificate
- Resident registration
- Korean spouse's proof of income (employment cert, withholding receipt, etc.)
- Proof of residence (lease or property registry)
- Bank balance certificate
- Photos, message logs proving genuine relationship
- Statement of guarantor
Process
- Initial diagnosis (1 day) — feasibility review
- Document preparation (1–3 weeks)
- In-person filing at Immigration (appointment required)
- Interview if requested
- Decision (4–12 weeks depending on case)
- Alien Registration Card issuance
Estimated Fees
- Government fee: from KRW 130,000
- Our service fee: from KRW 350,000 (varies by complexity)
- Translation, apostille, etc. billed separately
Common Rejection Reasons
- Insufficient income → supplement with cohabitating family income or assets
- Doubts on authenticity → strengthen with chats, photos, travel records
- Missing documents → pre-check via our checklist
- Inconsistent interview answers → joint mock interview prep
- Prior visa violations → factual statement + explanation letter